Officials cite Milwaukee shooting victim’s criminal record
MILWAUKEE — When police identified Sylville Smith as the Milwaukee man shot by an officer Saturday, triggering a violent uprising on the city’s mostly black north side, Chief Edward Flynn cited Smith’s “lengthy criminal record.”
Online court records showed multiple charges against the 23-year-old Smith dating back to 2013. One was as minor as retail theft — which was dismissed — and other less serious offences included speeding, driving without insurance, driving with a suspended license or having open intoxicants in a vehicle.
There were more serious charges. Smith was accused in a shooting last year and charged with recklessly endangering safety, a felony.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Smith was subsequently accused of pressuring the victim to recant statements that identified him as the gunman and was charged with trying to intimidate a witness. The charges were dropped because the victim recanted the identification and failed to appear in court, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern told the newspaper Sunday.